Going to the Dark Side

[SkooterG]

55k on a car tire? IMPRESSIVE!!!!

Taking as long as you did to reach it? PATHETIC!!!

Hugs & Kisses you crusty ol *******. Btw, where the fuke were you when I was in Orlando?

 

[RadioHowie]

55k on a car tire? IMPRESSIVE!!!!
Taking as long as you did to reach it? PATHETIC!!!

Hugs & Kisses you crusty ol *******. Btw, where the fuke were you when I was in Orlando?

"Pathetic"??? Some of us don't measure our personal accomplishments by how much time we spend in the saddle. :finger:

.....and I had to work that weekend. :angry2:

 

[Bustanut joker]

55k on a car tire? IMPRESSIVE!!!!
Taking as long as you did to reach it? PATHETIC!!!

Hugs & Kisses you crusty ol *******. Btw, where the fuke were you when I was in Orlando?

"Pathetic"??? Some of us don't measure our personal accomplishments by how much time we spend in a Sybian saddle.

.....and I had to work that weekend.

Fxd.

 

[RadioHowie]

First time I've seen a saddle that made a Russell Day-Long look cheap!!!

 

[Pterodactyl]

Thanks to OCfjr for the FAQ thread and this thread. (Is that OC for Obsessive Compulsive??) The FAQ thread along with this thread provide a very fair and comprehensive assessment of the Darkside. Both the pros and cons are provided. After reading both and contemplating the decision a great deal I am firmly in the undecided camp. I think the only thing that could provide me more info would be to try a CT.

 

[user 213]

Thanks to OCfjr for the FAQ thread and this thread. (Is that OC for Obsessive Compulsive??) The FAQ thread along with this thread provide a very fair and comprehensive assessment of the Darkside. Both the pros and cons are provided. After reading both and contemplating the decision a great deal I am firmly in the undecided camp. I think the only thing that could provide me more info would be to try a CT.

I have tried to present a fair perspective, but Darksiders do have a rather low tolerance for the "you're gonna crash and die" crowd.

The OCfjr user name was created when I lived in Oregon City, OR. For nearly all of the time I rode the FJR, that was home. Love lead me to the desert.

 

[FJRay]

Thanks to OCfjr for the FAQ thread and this thread. (Is that OC for Obsessive Compulsive??) The FAQ thread along with this thread provide a very fair and comprehensive assessment of the Darkside. Both the pros and cons are provided. After reading both and contemplating the decision a great deal I am firmly in the undecided camp. I think the only thing that could provide me more info would be to try a CT.

That is what I did on my wing. Bought a wheel with a tire already mounted. I keep the spare with a car tire for those that want to give it a try. I have the General ready to mount in the spring for the FJR.

There is a thread going on the gl1800 forum adding up the total car tire miles. It's approaching 4 million trouble free miles.

 

[garyahouse]

On the subject of "crash and die," in all fairness, I think we have effectively dealt with the reliability issue. The evidence provided on these pages should be enough to convince any skeptic. I think we've successfully beat that horse to death. Ha, I've even kicked it a few times myself. It is indeed dead. Therefore the real questions should be about handling, ride or performance. However, these are the areas subject to individual opinion and riding style; and cannot be fully proven by any number of opinions or miles...

But it sure is a hoot watching everybody try.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[lnewlf]

died and still getting oats shoved up it's ass

 

[Uncle Hud]

^^^^ True from the perspective of some readers. For others, like me, it's a relatively new concept and one I may try after the OEM Bridgestones wear out in a few months.

 

[garyahouse]

^^^^ True from the perspective of some readers. For others, like me, it's a relatively new concept and one I may try after the OEM Bridgestones wear out in a few months.

Uncle H:

What I meant by dead horse was ONLY the concept that a CT is not going to explode or self destruct, hense the term, "reliability."

All the other variables, like how it affects handling, general safety while riding, its slight effect on acceleration and perhaps gas mileage, longevity, and etc. are STILL up for discussion. Let's keep that dialogue rollin' fellers...

Gary

darksider #44

 

[Twigg]

^^^^ True from the perspective of some readers. For others, like me, it's a relatively new concept and one I may try after the OEM Bridgestones wear out in a few months.

Uncle H:

What I meant by dead horse was ONLY the concept that a CT is not going to explode or self destruct, hense the term, "reliability."

All the other variables, like how it affects handling, general safety while riding, its slight effect on acceleration and perhaps gas mileage, longevity, and etc. are STILL up for discussion. Let's keep that dialogue rollin' fellers...

Gary

darksider #44

Although it might be nice if the discussion were limited to riders who have actually, you know, tried it

 

[Uncle Hud]

Nope, nope, nope ...I was pointing to the "died and still getting oats shoved up it's [sic] ass" post. And in no way am I attempting to contribute to this thread; I am attempting to drain every last molecule of knowledge from it.

 

[FJRay]

^^^^ True from the perspective of some readers. For others, like me, it's a relatively new concept and one I may try after the OEM Bridgestones wear out in a few months.

Uncle H:

What I meant by dead horse was ONLY the concept that a CT is not going to explode or self destruct, hense the term, "reliability."

All the other variables, like how it affects handling, general safety while riding, its slight effect on acceleration and perhaps gas mileage, longevity, and etc. are STILL up for discussion. Let's keep that dialogue rollin' fellers...

Gary

darksider #44

Although it might be nice if the discussion were limited to riders who have actually, you know, tried it

Where 's the fun in that. Like many things on the internet those that know the least tend to pontificate the most.

I haven't done the deed on the FJR yet but it's here in house waiting for spring. I have done the last two seasons on the wing with a CT and will continue. With the weight of the wing and two not so small people with a weeks worth of stuff and the tongue weight of the Bushtec the stock MT is gasping for breath. The run flat Michelin gives me a nice safety margin.

 

[lnewlf]

Nope, nope, nope ...I was pointing to the "died and still getting oats shoved up it's [sic] ass" post. And in no way am I attempting to contribute to this thread; I am attempting to drain every last molecule of knowledge from it.

Hey Unc...it's good to have my spelling korrekted, I do appreziate dat..

Be interesting to get your opinion on your new square tar....myself, I don't think I would trust it enough to feel confident when the peg is on the ground although I know it can be done..

and I know a guy who put white mudflaps with reflectors on his '66 427 'Vette...

 

[user 213]

Be interesting to get your opinion on your new square tar....myself, I don't think I would trust it enough to feel confident when the peg is on the ground although I know it can be done..

Lots of riders don't think. You can take some classes to improve your riding skills so you stop dragging hard parts on the ground. It might even get you thinking again...

 

[Uncle Hud]

Hey Unc...it's good to have my spelling korrekted, I do appreziate dat..

Be interesting to get your opinion on your new square tar....myself, I don't think I would trust it enough to feel confident when the peg is on the ground although I know it can be done..

and I know a guy who put white mudflaps with reflectors on his '66 427 'Vette...

Don't have a square tar yet; the dealer's Bridgestone's only got 3,000 miles on it so far. Just checking out the options, because I really don't want to buy new tarz every year, because I'm a cheap SOB thrifty. Seen a couple of photos with daylight showing under a CT all leaned over .... and that gives me pause.

...and I didn't correct your spelling.

 

[lnewlf]

Be interesting to get your opinion on your new square tar....myself, I don't think I would trust it enough to feel confident when the peg is on the ground although I know it can be done..

Lots of riders don't think. You can take some classes to improve your riding skills so you stop dragging hard parts on the ground. It might even get you thinking again...

point taken-seldom does the peg touch- usually only in extreme situations..i.e. like a cager over the line when you have to run wide...exactly when I don't want a CT... and sometimes when I try to make sparks just for fun...you are able to do that, right...if not you might want to practice to improve your skills..it is essential to know exactly how far over she can go..

 

[user 213]

In all fairness, most of us Darksiders are not complete hooligans, but we do have a few hard core ones. I have/can scraped pegs on the FJR equipped with a CT w/o any more difficulty than a moto tire. I also had a full GP suspension set up, so very well dialed in. The problem is that when you're doing it right, and still scraping pegs, you're going stupid fast on the street. For me, scraping hard parts was the message to slow the F*** down.

What you find out when you actually try the darkside, is that you have better traction at extreme angles and conditions than a moto tire. Even at peg scraping angles, there is still a third of the width of the tire on the ground, and friend, that's a lot of rubber, all with sipes and tread blocks. It's more of a work out, but it's quite do-able and several here do that with some regularity.

 

[FJRay]

Shortly after darksiding my wing with a 195 section Falken my wife and were doing some local twisty roads. I was going around a right hand corner as fast as was comfy only to find a Chevy dualy halfway into my lane. All I could was force it's head down and hope for the best. Scraped up everything on the right side and heard my wife squealing in the intercom but the bike never slipped. My buddy said it looked like I just cleared the big mirror on the truck. Car tires work. I got 18 k out of that tire and it was used when I put it on.